Jerry Behn
| Jerry Behn | |
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| Member of the Iowa Senate from the 24th district 40th (1997-2003) |
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Assumed office January 13, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Albert Sorensen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 31, 1954 Boone County, Iowa |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Denise |
| Children | 4 children |
| Residence | Boone, Iowa |
| Occupation | Farmer/Agribusiness |
| Website | Behn's website |
Jerry Behn (born January 31, 1954) is the Iowa State Senator from the 24th District and minority leader in the Iowa Senate. A Republican, he has served in the Iowa Senate since 1997, and served as a Boone County Supervisor from 1995 to 1996.
Behn currently serves on several committees in the Iowa Senate - the Appropriations committee; the Commerce committee; the State Government committee; the Environment & Energy Independence committee, where he is the ranking member, and the Ethics committee, where he is the ranking member. He also serves on the Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee.
Behn was last re-elected in 2008 with 22,970 votes (57%), defeating Democratic opponent, former Iowa Senator Albert Sorensen.
Behn was a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 2010 but withdrew, endorsing Terry Branstad. His platform included promoting fiscal restraint, preserving right-to-work laws, and allowing Iowans to vote on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. He called for voters to vote against retention for those Iowa Supreme Court justices who decided that Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional in Varnum v. Brien.
Behn voted in support of House File 625, which eliminated the requirement that parents report on their state taxes whether or not they have healthcare for their children. In this bill, Behn also voted to eliminate the requirement that parents apply for public healthcare coverage, Hawk-i or Medicaid, for their children.
Behn voted for House File 295 which eliminates local control in municipalities that voted to increase their own minimum wage locally. Behn's vote will cause the minimum wage to be lowered in four counties which had already voted to raise their minimum wage (Johnson, Linn, Wapello, and Polk). Estimates show that at least 64,300 residents of Iowa will have their wages effectively lowered, including 35,800 to 36,000 in Polk County, 10,100 in Johnson County, and 18,400 in Linn County.
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